Eldora

Flying into Denver, Colorado, skiers looking to catch a few rides have to look no further than Eldora Mountain Resort, the closest skiing resort to Denver. Adventurers can drive the twenty miles to the park or take the RTD bus from Boulder to Eldora’s Indian Peaks area which features superb skiing, boarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. Supporters of the park’s unofficial motto to just “say no to I70,” will opt for the bus.

Eldora Mountain Resort can be found positioned in a premium location west of the city of Boulder. A classic stop for skiers since 1962, Eldora is an established favorite for families and individuals due to the proximity of the resort to Front Range. Additionally, the healthy amount of annual snowfall makes this place highly desirable and this healthy pack of snow makes skiing and boarding here quite safe.

The parks at Eldora make it a favorite for boarders and skiers alike but there are steep tree runs that remain a somewhat of a secret as well as friendly runs that are groomed with state-of-the-art equipment.

There are also several protected locations in the park which can be found with some effort. However, fresh snow can always be found around this part of Colorado. For those more interested in cross-country skiing, a Nordic center is featured here with over 30 miles of groomed trails and clearly marked trail heads and markers. It’s a great destination for family skiing activities.

Eldora Stats

Base Elevation:

9,200 ft

Summit Elevation:

10,800 ft

Vertical Drop:

1,600 ft

Skiable Area:

680 acres

Annual Snowfall:

300 in

Snowmaking:

95 %

Number of Lifts:

12

Uphill Lift Capacity:

11,500 per hour

Types of Lifts:

4 Surface Lifts

4 Double Chairs

2 Triple Chair

2 Quad Chair

Number of Trails:

53

Longest Run:

15,840 ft

Eldora Reviews:

By thombre Jan 3, 2011

Took the triple chair up Eldora Ski Mountain yesterday, partly cloudy windy conditions. 36 ” base, packed powder,read The New Guide To Skiing by Heckelman weeks before, visualization and mental prep was now reality.Several runs down the intermediate slopes gave me encouragement.Was beginning to grasp the fundamentals of traversing on my edges and working my way down the mountain.Took a different run each time and was facing the quad chair which would take me up the high point at 10,800 ft elev. After some time taking in the sun and mountain scenery was able to negotiate three more runs of exhilarating skiing,single diamond advanced slopes.The few times I cut too sharply,people were there asking if I was ok and giving me words of encouragement. The people were looking out for each other.I would recommend Eldora for a ski vacation,it is only 17 miles southwest of Boulder,CO. To top it off we stayed a few nights at the Hotel Boulderado built in 1909 a block away from Pearl St. (courtesy – OnTheSnow.com)

My Take: With 1600ft. of vertical drop and a stones throw from Boulder, Eldora is a an excellent place to ride hard. The Corona and Indian Peaks chairs serve some tasty looks steeps and trees especially in and around the Bryan Glades area. A hefty lodge area at the bottom of Eldora handles the masses from the Denver metro area and a superb chunk of lower mountain is dedicated to a sophisticated terrain park area in full view from the Indian Peaks lodge.